FBI: Massachusetts man plotted attack on Pentagon, U.S. Capitol

Thursday

Sep 29, 2011 at 12:01 AMSep 29, 2011 at 6:47 PM

Next to his 2003 Ashland (Mass.) High School yearbook photo, Rezwan Ferdaus quoted Mahatma Gandhi: "I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need." That message was nowhere to be found in the documents the FBI released yesterday, in which federal authorities accuse the 26-year-old Ashland resident of plotting attacks on the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol building to kill and "terrorize the enemies of Allah," including women and children.

Norman Miller

Next to his 2003 Ashland High School yearbook photo, Rezwan Ferdaus quoted Mahatma Gandhi: "I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need."

That message was nowhere to be found in the documents the FBI released yesterday, in which federal authorities accuse the 26-year-old Ashland resident of plotting attacks on the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol building to kill and "terrorize the enemies of Allah," including women and children.

Ferdaus, a U.S. citizen, is being held in federal custody on several terrorism-related charges after an undercover investigation discovered Ferdaus wanted to fly large, remote-controlled planes filled with plastic explosives into the two federal buildings.

"The conduct alleged today shows that Mr. Ferdaus has long planned to commit violent acts against our country," said Carmen M. Ortiz, the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts.

Ferdaus, a Northeastern University graduate with a physics degree, was arrested yesterday at 9:30 a.m. at a storage facility on Waverly Place in Framingham after he accepted what he thought were plastic explosives, as well as machine guns and grenades to be used in his planned attack. The items were provided by undercover FBI agents, according to the FBI.

The FBI also raided Ferdaus' home at 22 Coburn Drive in Ashland. Authorities would not say what evidence, if any, was collected.

The Department of Justice began working with a "cooperating witness" in January, according to a federal affidavit. Ferdaus had contacted the man last December with the goal of "decapitating its (the United States) 'military center.' "

In one conversation, Ferdaus asked the witness if he could get enough explosives to "take out a target that's like three football fields, say a radius of one to two blocks."

Asked why he wanted to attack the Pentagon, Ferdaus said, "because that's the target to eliminate and terrify all enemies of Allah. We have this project started. ... This is, this is what we have to do. This is the righteous way ... (to) terrorize the enemies of Allah," the affidavit said.

Over time, Ferdaus changed the plan to instead use the remote-controlled airplanes, filling them with grenades to attack both the Pentagon and the Capitol.

In March, the witness introduced Ferdaus to two "brothers" who were "down with the cause." Those men were actually undercover agents, the affidavit said. Ferdaus described his plan to the two agents.

Ferdaus went to an Internet cafe in New York City in March to research remote-controlled planes that could fly 100 mph and carry as much as 50 pounds. He told the agents that each plane could be filled with 10 grenades and fly using a built-in GPS system.

On March 29, the agents questioned Ferdaus about his willingness to actually follow through on the plan. He said he was ready.

"What I envision is that it's going to ... essentially decapitate the entire empire," the affidavit said, quoting Ferdaus. "(It will be the) final nail in the coffin ... because it's going to severely disrupt the head and heart of the snake."

During the undercover investigation, Ferdaus created cellphones that could be used as detonators to blow up IEDs, or roadside bombs. He gave them to the agents, the FBI said.

The agents told Ferdaus at a meeting in June that one of his phone detonation devices killed three U.S. soldiers and injured several others in Iraq. According to the FBI's affidavit, he said, "This is exactly what I wanted, and I feel so blessed. ... I feel that I'm seeing the fruits of my labor."

As part of his plan, Ferdaus ordered the planes from a company in Florida, using the alias Dave Winfield.

Ferdaus later rented a storage facility on Framingham's Waverly Place, a short side street near the intersection of Waverly and Winthrop streets, under another fake name. There, he developed his plans and kept supplies.

In May, Ferdaus went to Washington to conduct surveillance and take photographs of his targets. He returned and told the agents that he had to expand his plan to include a ground attack, according to the FBI.

He provided them with detailed plans, including photos, with how he wanted the attack to happen.

The affidavit said Ferdaus wanted to have a team of six carry out the attacks, with himself as the leader. He said he and the other team members would remain outside of the Pentagon and Capitol building, and when people evacuated, they would "open up on them," with the machine guns, killing as many people as possible.

On Aug. 2, the agents met with Ferdaus. They gave him $3,500 to finish paying for the remote-controlled plane. During that meeting, he told them he needed 25 pounds of plastic explosives.

Later that month, Ferdaus gave the agents two more detonation devices.

Last Tuesday, Ferdaus made a training video showing people how to make the cellphone detonators. He gave the video to the agents, thinking it was going to be sent to al Qaeda operatives overseas.

The agents met with Ferdaus yesterday at the storage facility with the 25 pounds of fake plastic explosives, three grenades and six fully-automatic AK-47 assault rifles. Once Ferdaus took possession of them, the agents arrested him.

Ferdaus is charged with providing material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, attempting to destroy national defense premises and attempting to damage and destroy buildings that are owned by the United States by using an explosive.

If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison for the providing material support charge, and up to 20 years each on the other two charges. He also faces a $250,000 fine for each charge.

Ferdaus has been in trouble with the law before, although on a much different scale.

In 2003, as a senior at Ashland High School, he was one of three students who admitted vandalizing school property with cement. They denied they were the ones who burned an American flag found damaged at the school.

Ferdaus appeared in U.S. District Court in Worcester yesterday. He was ordered held in federal custody until a detention hearing Monday.

Ferdaus' lawyer, Cathy Byrne, did not return a call seeking comment.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com.

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